Combined leaf holder and bookmark



y 2, 1939- I ofL'. HERMANN 2,156,944

COMBINED LEAF HOLDER AND BOOKMARK Filed Jan. 26, 1938 medium fir ToRLVEX.

Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE COMBINED LEAF HOLDERAND BOOKMARK Otto L. Hermann, St.

Buxton & Skinner Louis, Mo., assignor to Printing & Stationery 8 Claims.

This invention has for its general object to provide a novel combinedbookmark and leaf holder which shall be characterized by simplicity ofconstruction and consequent economy in manufacture, which may be readilyapplied in position on the book and as readily removed for applicationto a new book; and which shall be compact in design and of lightconstruction, so that in use on the character of'record books for whichit is particuiu larly designed, the book may be carried about, or placedin the pocket, without any inconvenience being caused by the presence ofmy device on the book.

My improved device is intended for use particularly on blank recordbooks of the type used by employees of gas, water and electric lightcompanies in recording the readings of meters at the houses, factories,shops, etc., visited for the purpose, although the invention is notlimited in application to this particular type of book. Such books areusually of the loose-leaf variety, are relatively long, narrow andthick, and are hinged at one end. The device is placed in position onthe front cover of the book, and presents a springpressed roller of thewidth of the cover, and preferably having a surface of rubber, which isyieldably held against the inside of the cover and under which each leafas used may be easily inserted to be held against the cover, or againsta leaf, or leaves, previously inserted under the roller; or any numberof leaves may be simultaneously inserted under the roller and clampedthereby to the cover, according to the place in the book which it isdesired to mark. :23 My improved device comprises a body portion in theform of a slide member, which is adapted to receive and be slidablymounted on the front cover of the book and which is provided along theupper edge portion of its rear side with a cylindrical housing, a coilspring mounted in and secured at one end to said housing, a bail havinga cross-bar extending through and pivotally mounted in the ends of thehousing, and controlled by said spring, the other end of which issecured to 3 the cross-bar, and a roller mounted for rotation at theouter ends of the arms of said bail.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a book with mydevice in position on the cover thereof;

Fig. 2 is an edge view, looking toward the left of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, with the book shown in Fig. 1 opened, and showingthe leaves held in position against the inside of the front cover by the55 spring-pressed roller;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the device, a part of the rollerbeing shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4 andviewed in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. -6 is an end View of the device; and

Fig. 7 is a cross-section, taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 4 and viewed inthe direction of the arrows.

The body of the device which, as stated, is adapted to be mounted on thefront cover of the book, comprises two parallel plates 1, 2,respectively, providing between them a space 3, through which the cover4 of the book is adapted to be inserted, the body being thus slidablyadjustable on the cover to any desired position, usually about midway ofthe ends. The outer plate 2 is provided along one edge with acylindrical housing 5 which incloses a coil spring ii, one end of whichis secured to the housing and the other end to a cross-bar 7 extendingthrough, and rotatably mounted in the ends 8 oi the housing, said shaft,or cross-bar, being bent at right-angles to itself at each end toprovide parallel, curved arms 8, in the outer end of which is mounted aspindle I0, on which is rotatably mounted a rubber roller II,longitudinally corrugated as indicated at i 2. The outer plate 2 is alsoprovided at opposite ends with right-angle flanges, or heads, l3, eachof which is provided at its lower end with a stop M, against which thearms 9 normally bear under the action of spring 6.

In use, the device is placed in position on the book by inserting thefront cover in the space 3 and sliding the device to the desiredposition on the cover, the device then having the position on the bookshown in Fig. 1. When the book is opened, as shown in Fig. 3, and themeter reading, or other record, made on a page I5 thereof, the lattermay be readily inserted under roller l l, which freely rotates on itsspindle. When the book is closed, the roller rolls over the retainedpage, or pages, without liability of doubling or creasing them, and thesame applies when the book is opened. The book may be opened by merelyraising the cover, the roller I l, by holding the used leaves againstthe cover by pressure of spring 5, always insuring that the book will beopened at the place divided oil by the roller. The latter thus acts inthe nature of a bookmark.

It will be obvious that the device can be made of a width to suit anygiven size of book, and therefore that it can be made of a width toenable it to be placed on a book opening at the side, as in the case ofan ordinary library book.

What I claim as new is:

1. A combined leaf holder and bookmark comprising a body portionprovided with a rectangular space for slidably receiving the cover of abook, a spring-controlled bail carried by the body portion, and a rollermounted on said bail, for extendingacross the inside of the cover and tobe yieldingly held in engagement with the same by the bail.

2. A combined leaf holder and bookmark comprising a body portionprovided with a rectangular space for slidably receiving the cover of abook, a spring-controlled bail pivotally mounted on the body portion,and a roller mounted on said bail, for extending across the inside ofthe cover and to be yieldingly held in engagement with the same by thebail.

3. A combined leaf holder and bookmark com prising a body portionproviding a rectangular space adapting the body portion to be slidablyand removably mounted on the cover of a book, a spring-controlled bailpivotally mounted on the body portion, and a roller carried by saidboil, for extending across the inside of the cover and to be yieldinglyheld in engagement with the same by the bail.

4. A combined leaf holder and bookmark comprising a body portionproviding a rectangular space adapting the body portion to be slidablyand removably mounted on the cover of a book, a spring-controlled bailpivotally mounted on the body portion, and a rubber roller carried bysaid bail, for extending across the inside of the cover and to beyieldingly held in engagement with the same by the bail.

5. A combined leaf holder and bookmark comprising a body portionproviding a rectangular space adapting the body portion to be slidablyand removably mounted on the cover of a book, a spring-controlled bailpivotally mounted on the body portion, and a longitudinally corrugatedrubber roller carried by said bail, for extending across the inside ofthe cover and to be yieldingly held in engagement with the same by thebail.

6. A combined leaf holder and bookmark comprising a body portionproviding a rectangular space adapting the body portion to be slidablyand removably mounted on the cover of a book and having a transversehousing, a bail having a cross-bar extending through and pivotallymounted in the ends of said housing and provided withdownwardly-extending, parallel arms, a coil spring surrounding saidcross-bar and secured at one end thereto and at its other end to thehousing, and a roller mounted at the outer ends of said arms, forextending across the inside of the cover and to be yieldingly held inengagement with the same by said bail.

7. A combined leaf holder and bookmark comprising a body portionproviding a rectangular space adapting the body portion to be slidablyand removably mounted on the cover of a book and having a transversehousing, a bail having a cross-bar extending through and pivotallymounted in the ends of said housing and provided withdownwardly-extending, parallel curved arms, a coil spring surroundingsaid crossbar and securedat one end thereto and at its other end to thehousing, and a roller mounted at the outer end of said arms, forextending across the inside of the cover and to be yieldingly held inengagement with the same by said bail.

8. A combined leaf holder and bookmark comprising a body portionprovided with a rectangular. opening extending through the same from topto bottom for slidably receiving the cover of a book and provided at thetop of its rear side with; a housing and with end members affordingstops, a bail having a cross-bar extending through and pivotally mountedin the ends of said housing and provided with downwardly-extending,parallel arms normally resting against said stops, a coil springsurrounding said cross-bar and secured at one end thereto and at itsother end to the housing, and a roller mounted at the outer ends of saidarms, for extending across the inside of the cover and to be yieldinglyheld in engagement with the same by said bail.

OTTO L. HERMAN N.

